Little did we know five years later we'd still be talking about Steve Bartman. (Actually, of course we should know this. It is just another part of the Cubs mystique or charm or curses or whatever you feel it fits into. At this point -- and as a White Sox fan it deeply pains me to say this -- it would almost (operative world: almost ) be better if the Cubs won the World Series to finally put all this trivial crap about why they didn't win all these years to bed once and for all.)BUT ANYWAY, there was Bugs and Cranks' fake interview with the guy today. And Moises Alou was recently prompted about the that fateful eight inning of Game 6 of the 2003 NLCS. The details:
"Everywhere I play, even now, people still yell, 'Bartman! Bartman!' I feel really bad for the kid," Alou told Associated Press columnist Jim Litke.
"You know what the funny thing is?" he added a moment later. "I wouldn't have caught it, anyway."
That stands in stark contrast to Alou's reaction at the time. After the play, he jumped up and down with his arms outstretched.
After the game, he said: "I timed it perfectly, I jumped perfectly. I'm almost 100 percent that I had a clean shot to catch the ball. All of a sudden, there's a hand on my glove."Obviously over time, Alou has changed his tune; he's no longer as upset or angry as he was on that night. There's a time heals all wounds sympathy factor here. Certainly understandable.
He didn't have kind words for Bartman on that night either.
"Hopefully, he won't have to regret it for the rest of his life," he said.
And we've all seen the replay a million times. It's just too tough to say. Would he have caught it? Maybe. Would he have missed it? Maybe. He's probably not sure himself. So it will live on. As it always has. Ugh.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-02-2008 @ 1:26AM
Bento Leal said...
Bartman didn't lose that game -- the CUBS did!! After that foul ball was flubbed, did the Cubs shut the door -- NO, THEY opened it up. Alou's right -- he probably wouldn't have caught the ball anyway. The ball was half in the stands as it was. Bartman -- keep you head up. If the Cubs hang on you that they lost that series, then they shouldn't get to the World Series anyway.
Reply
4-02-2008 @ 2:45AM
dave said...
It was only game 6 and they were still winning the game 3 to 1 at that point. If I'm not mistaken, they had the lead in game 7 as well. I understand why people want to blame Bartman. It just seemed like everything that could go wrong happened after his innocent mistake.
Reply
4-02-2008 @ 10:06AM
H. Erickson said...
Just where is Bartman today? We should make sure he gets same seat for the "Flubbies next choke which will be later this fall....should they even get that far.
Reply
4-02-2008 @ 2:24PM
chris said...
Bartman still lives in fear that he'll be hurt because of what happened. Chicago owes that guy a HUGE apology for what it did to him. He didn't cost the Cubs that game, they blew it on their own.
Reply
4-03-2008 @ 12:28PM
Zippertheslipper said...
I seen that story about the Bartman and how Moises Alou said he wouldn't have caught that ball anyhow. Sheesh, Bartman is a Cubbie fan and I bet he felt like total crap after that incident, but now it is revealed that he didn't really cause any difference in the outcome of the game. To all you Cubs fans out there, have a heart and go easy on the Bartman, he is one of you guys. nuff said.
Reply
4-06-2008 @ 7:56AM
John Q Celebrity said...
I just find it funny that Bartman is the only one that got ridiculed and not all the other CUB FANS trying to do the same thing!?!?!?
There is no such thing as a fan who sits on the rail near the field that would not try for that foul ball. It happens a lot. This was just magnified because Alou threw a temper tantrum and decided that it was all Bartman's fault that he was not tall enough or had his arm outstretched enough in order to catch the ball in the first place. Many professional athletes (not all) are cry babies by nature because once they make that all mighty dollar for doing little more than playing a game and having people do EVERYTHING for them, it just seems right for them to whine when things do not go their way.
Reply